bel canto dac 3 cd 2 owners

Hi , multiple questions so first off, the bass of the dac 3.5 is just tighter and more rock solid, with a good combo of weight and punch. I dont think you would have an issue with too much bass. I will let you know the upgrade price when I get it done, and the vbs 1 still needs a good power cord, I can still hear differences in power cords, its just not as dramatic as with some dacs. And I am suspicious of the post claiming bad build quality, I am nothing but impressed with the inside of mine.

So, according to the review in ultra audio,
the air, space and reverberation trails via
the Dac3vbs are truncated compared to the
original Dac 3.

Chrissain and Everest_audio, can you tell me if
the Dac3.5 improves upon these aspects? I have
spent a lot of money on Synergistic Research
products to vastly improve space, air and
reverberation trails. I really

So, according to the review in ultra audio,
the air, space and reverberation trails via
the Dac3vbs are truncated compared to the
original Dac 3.

Chrissain and Everest_audio, can you tell me if
the Dac3.5 improves upon these aspects? I have
spent a lot of money on Synergistic Research
products to vastly improve space, air and
reverberation trails. I really do not like the
idea of any compromises in these areas.

I read the same review , and am puzzled by it, it not been my experience at all. I have compared the stock dac three, to a dac 3 vbs, and in the systems I heard them in the dac 3vbs was better in about every way I can think of. I have lots of air and ambiance in my system, if its on the recording.

Thanks for your input Chrissain.

So, what is the wait time going to be
for your upgrade? I do a lot more listening
in the fall and all the way into spring.
I would hate to part with my Dac for too long.

Hi scott, I am located in MPLS MN, the home town of Bel Canto, SO turn around time for me was very fast, I am not sure how long it would take elsewhere, good luck ,chris

So I have been breaking in my dac 3.5 and I could not be happier, It sounded good right out of the box, bigger soundstage and better separation, cant wait to hear what it sounds like after a couple hundred hours !!!! John said they use caddock resisters that take a while to break in , we shall see !!

Could you please tell me which is the latest Bel Canto CD2 Firmware?

I talked to belcanto and they said that they are about to come out with a new software upgrade, probably next month.

@Chrissain,
Are you referring to CD 2 firmware?
Is the software user's upgradable?
Do you know what the features of the new firmware are?

I use my BC CD2 as a transport through aes/ebu connection to a ARC DAC8, does anybody know if there is any advantage replacing the original power supply with the LNS1?

Firmware is upgradeable by a dealer that has access to the Bel Canto programming board and software.

For the CD2, I don't think you'd see any benefit replacing the original power supply with the LNS1. Now the VBS1, that's a different story.

Chrissain, now that your 3.5 is fully run in,
care to give any final impressions and comparisons
to the dac3/vbs1?

Perhaps there is some other Dac3.5vbs owners out there that
can enlighten us on the sonic differences between the
Dac3vbs vs the Dac3.5vbs. Is it mainly more bass that
separates the two sonically?

From what I can gather, the DAC 3.5vb betters the DAC3 in terms of clarity, resolution, and dynamics (better bass and treble). The computer interface -digital light link - is also significantly better than the DAC3's usb interface. I have read several user reviews that puts the DAC3's performance the equal of the DAC 2.5. I read one report that states the DAC 3.5s performance is on the same level as the Berkeley Alpha DAC but with a lower noise floor. Check out the following review from Inner Ear by a reviewer who had the DAC3. He considers the DAC 3.5 to be better. http://www.inner-magazines.com/news/250/63/BelCanto-DAC3-5VB/

update, Recently at a friends house he had a shootout between the Belcanto dac3.5 vbs vs The Wies dac 202 and the DCS debussy, long story short, the belcanto bettered both dacs, and in some ways , by quite a bit. considering the Bel canto is the cheaper of the bunch, that says alot about the Bel canto.

Anyone care to share their experiences with the dac3.5 and the light link?
I am in the market, but wish i could compare the Halide bridge.

Just was informed that there is a new upgrade for the power supply in the dac 3.5 . I am not that informed on what the upgrade actually is but I am going to get it and report back on any differences, stay tuned !

I upgraded my bel canto dac 3.5 vbs to the mk 2 status. The wizards at bel canto just keep making an already good product better and better ! great job Bel Canto!

Chrissain - you're a step ahead of me as my DAC3.5 VBS is currently at BC getting the Mk II upgrade. I would greatly appreciate your more detailed thoughts on the type of improvements that the upgrade makes and how significant they are to the DAC's overall performance. I'm glad to hear that you're so pleased with the upgrade and thanks in advance for your time and input!

bill, I hear greater clarity into the soundstage, a lower noise floor, and an even bigger 3d imaging . I am very happy with the upgrade, happy listening, Chris

Chrissain, can you tell us if there is any difference in the
tonal balance. Thinner vs. fuller in pitch. Also, are you
using the upgraded cable between the two?

So, can you give us a cost of the mk2 upgrade?

The Mk.II upgrade of the BC DAC3.5VB is $500 from any authorized dealer in the US, and is performed at the factory in MN.

Thanks Bill.

Say, do you have the REF VB Cable?
The big question is, which is better. The REF VB Cable
or the mk2 upgrade. They both cost the same. I am sure they additive. However, my main concern is musicality. If I have to sacrifice musicality to get better sound staging, then I do not want it. For my system a Synergistic Research Hologram D with a Galileo MPC was the ticket to get this dac to sing.
Now it is much more fluid with no digital glare. The hang time of decay trials
are like nothing I have ever heard before.

Glad to help, Scott. I do have the VB Ref cable and was very surprised at the significant improvement it made over the standard cable. It certainly does not sacrifice musicality, but just makes an across the board improvement. I now see that BC includes it in the Ref DAC Control System package when it used to be an optional upgrade.

I haven't yet heard the Mk.II upgrade so I can't comment on how the two options compare, but here's a quote from the BC product announcement at CES: John Stronczer is always thinking how he can make things better. The DAC 3.5VB MK II upgrade delivers an improved analog supply that better isolates the PCM1792 DAC and a new low-phase-noise main clock oscillator. These changes reduce the already extremely low noise of the DAC3.5VB delivering a more engaging, musical and communicative sound. John enthuses, “We’ve taken the DAC3.5VB to the next level of performance!”

Thanks a million Bill. Valuable info. Wish I could find a used VB Ref cable. I hate to pay retail when latter down the road they offer the upgrade for the same
price. They now do this with the ST fiber light link. I am going to have to get
one. As for the MK II upgrade, more engaging, musical and communicative sound is exactly what I am been try to achieve with the 3.5vb. I will have to
upgrade this summer when I do much less listening.

Thanks again and let us know your impressions of the MK II once you have it
fulling run in.

The price of the Ref DAC Control System was raised accordingly once they began to package the VB Ref cable with it, I did not mean to imply otherwise and apologize for any confusion. I expect to post my impressions of the Mk. II upgrade later today.

If I had to find one word to best describe the differences that the Mk.II upgrade of the BC DAC3.5VB has made in my system's overall performance it would have to be "stunning".

Well engineered recordings now exhibit an effortless realism that I find very rarely achieved. On acoustic recordings the reproduction of individual instruments are beautifully rendered with a much better sense of the acoustic space around and between the instruments. This greatly increases the realism of the musical performance, as it transcends the typical hi-fi sound and is now much more realistically portrayed.

I can further say that from a return on investment perspective this upgrade's sonic improvements far exceed the $500 charged for it, and I commend Bel Canto for making the upgrade available to its existing customers rather than only incorporating it into a newer model.

Thanks for the update Bill. I am excited about this upgrade. So, what was the
turnaround time for your upgrade? Also, how about run in time? Do you
find the upgrade more musical and engaging as described? Of course full
run in will be required before this aspect will be apparent.

Turnaround time for my upgrade was a couple of weeks, but I would expect that to vary with their number of commitments at any given time. I had it powered up and running for about a week before any critical listening was done so I can't really comment on changes during break in time. I find the DAC to be much more emotionally engaging and musical with the upgrade, so I would say their description of the changes were accurate. As always, YMMV.

Thanks Bill. Sounds like a better upgrade than the Ref VB power cord upgrade
for the same cost. I can't imagine the sound stage getting any bigger. It is
already huge. I am very excited to get both.

I wouldn't say that the soundstage gets bigger, but more well defined with a better sense of space around all of the individual instruments. With the upgrade there is a new level of purity/clarity to the sound that is quite apparent, with an even better sense of each instrument's natural harmonic decay.

What does the VB Ref cable look like?

Is it between the VBS and the DAC? Damn.

I just did the MkII upgrade and it's spectacular.

Yes, the VB Ref cable goes between the VBS and the DAC3.5VB in place of the standard power supply cable. The VB Ref cable is clearly identified on the heat shrink and is thicker than the standard cable. In the Stereophile review they stated that it made a more significant difference than the different digital cables they tried. I agree with your assessment of the Mk. II upgrade, it makes an already great DAC truly spectacular as it is now so musically effortless and much more engaging!

I ordered the VB Ref for the CD2 and the DAC3.5VBII ;)

I'll have to wait for the cables.

So, how long did it take to get an RMA number from Bel Canto? I requested
an RMA for the upgrade more than a week ago and I am still waiting.

I received an RMA within a day after submitting a request on their website. I'd suggest sending an email to Matt bringing your request to his attention. Matt's email address is: mcramer {at} belcantodesign.com . Hope that this helps!

Thanks Bill, I still haven't heard from anyone.

Thanks again Bill. Received my rma from Matt and my 3.5 is on its way. Can't wait to hear the mkii upgrade.

Just picked up the VB Ref cables for my DAC3.5VB II and the CD2. But am currently away from home so couldn't test them.

When I opened the package, I was a little thrown because the cables don't look at all like the ones in the Stereophile CES 2011 photo (silver braid). Mine were grey/black like the original.

Can't wait to hear the combo in my main system now that I have the MkII upgrade.

My VB Ref cable as well as the ones I've seen at a local dealer all have black colored outer braids, but are noticeably a bit larger in diameter than the standard power cables. The improvement in sound that they make is quite obvious to experienced listeners and I believe well worth their cost. Please let us know your thoughts once you've had a chance to hear them after allowing for some break-in time.

I think I was thrown by the connector (looked different from the one in the Stereophile pic which looked larger) and also because of the 2 pin to barrel cable (which I was going to use on the CD2) because it didn't look thicker (from memory) than the original.

The 2 pin to 2 pin definitely looked thicker.